A Kenyan court has ruled against the government's plan to send police officers to participate in a UN-backed security mission in Haiti. The ruling comes just months after the UN Security Council authorized the Kenyan-led deployment to help combat surging gang violence.
Judge Enock Chacha Mwita deemed the deployment unconstitutional and illegal under Kenyan law. He issued an order prohibiting the mobilization of the officers to Haiti or any other country. The government said it would appeal the decision.
Haiti had urgently appealed to the UN for an international force to rein in armed gangs that have fueled a spike in killings, kidnappings and insecurity after the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Last October, the Security Council cleared the way for up to 1,000 Kenyan officers to spearhead the mission.
But the plan drew domestic opposition in Kenya. Critics questioned why the country would send police abroad when Kenya faces its own security problems with al-Shabab militants. The court ruling presents a setback for both the UN's efforts to intervene in Haiti and Kenya's ambitions to take a lead role.
Haiti's foreign minister recently implored the Security Council to accelerate deployment of the multinational force as violence reaches dire levels. But with the Kenyan court barring participation for now, it remains unclear how quickly any intervention can move forward. The decision highlights tensions when domestic politics collide with international initiatives.